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TRANSLATIOlSr OF A BURMESE 



the royal order was sent back, " Let the lord priest Waradathi fulfil his engagement, 

 and let the chief of the 100,000 Py^oos assist and have it done." Some persons at Ran- 

 goon fanc}', that the form of many of the letters, as well as some idiomatic expressions, 

 proves this inscription to have been put up by a native of Arracan. 



9.— Pyoo-ta-thein-men, or chief of 100,000 Pyoos, is supposed to have been the 

 prince of Arracan, Let-ya-NAN, whom Aloung-tsee-thoo king of Pagan, assisted 

 to recover the throne of his ancestors, and who is said to have established his capital at 

 a place called Parein. Aloung-tsee-thoo sent an army of Talains or Peguers by 

 sea, and one of Burmese by land, but the water force being defeated, the land force 

 retreated without attempting any thing. The king sent the land force a second time, and 

 it then succeeded in conquering and killing Thenkhya's grandson, Moung Badi, the 

 king of Arracan at the time, and establishing Let-ya-nan on the throne. This last 

 mentioned prince was the grandson of a king of Arracan, named Men Bheeloo, who 

 was killed by an Arracanese noble, Thenk-iiaya, who usurped the throne under the title 

 of Waroung-nghet-tsare. The son of the deceased king of Arracan, named Men- 

 ye-bha-ya, took refuge with Aloung-tsee-thoo's predecessor and grandfather, 

 Thee-thain-SHEN-kyan-zeet-tha, who reigned at Pfl^a« between the Burmese years 

 426 and 455, or A. D. 1064 and 1093, but who took no measures for establishing the 

 young Arracanese prince on his father's throne. Aloung-tsee-thoo was induced, as 

 above described, to assist this prince's son and the grandson of the murdered king of 

 Arracan. The Burmese history observes, that some difference exists among the historians 

 of Pagan and Ava as to the exact date when Let-ya-nan was placed on the throne of 

 Arracan, and refers to a copy of the Arracan history in Arracanese, in which mention is 

 made that this aid was given to Let-ya-nan after the year 480, or A. D. 1118. It quotes 

 also some verses written in Arracanese, in honor of the sister and wife of Let-ya-nan, 

 wherein it is distinctly stated that Aloung-tsee-thoo had established Let-ya-nan on 

 the throne of Arracan with 100,000 Talains and 100,000 Pyoos. 



When Prome was destroyed, the inhabitants separated themselves into three divisions, 

 part of one of which styled Pyoo, sixteen years afterwards, established themselves at 

 Pagan and founded the Pagan empire. Hence, the people of Pagan were often called 

 Pyoo, and whilst the Kings of Ava pride themselves as being descended from the Tagoung 

 race, the Burmese commonalty to this day consider themselves as descended from the 

 Pyoo race. 



